Packaging for dispensing material

ABSTRACT

A packaging for chaff material to be loaded into a chaff dispenser which packaging prevents the chaff from being accidentally spilled and blown about during the dispenser loading operation. It includes a flexible sheet enveloping the assembled chaff material and confining the shape of the assembled material to the interior dimensions of the dispenser. The envelope is preslit lengthwise and these slits are temporarily sealed with an adhesive tape with the ends thereof extending beyond the dispenser. After the packaged chaff has been loaded into place, the chaff is freed within the dispenser by pulling the extended ends of the tape, thus reopening the slits.

22 Filed:

I .[21] Appl.No.: 761,900

United States Patent 191 Wright 1 1 PACKAGING FOR DISPENSING MATERIAL [76] Inventor: Robert L. Wright, 127 Palomares Avenue, Ventura, Calif. 93003 Sept. 18, 1968 [5 2] US. Cl ..244/l36, 206/D1G. 4, 206/D1G. 18,

343/18 E [51] Int. Cl. ..B64d 1/02, HOlq 15/00 [58] Field of Search ..206/D1G. l8, DIG. 4;

A [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS [4 1 Apr. 24, 1973 3,027,047 3/1962 Johnson ..lO2/63 X Primary Examiner-Stephen C. Bentley Attorney-Q. Baxter Warner, E. J. Brower and G. N. Mann [57 I ABSTRACT A packaging for chaff material to be loaded into a chaff dispenser which packaging prevents the chaff from being accidentally spilled and blown about during the dispenser loading operation. It includes a flexible sheet enveloping the assembled chaff material and confining the shape of the assembled material to the interior dimensions of the dispenser. The envelope is pre-slit lengthwise and these slits are temporarily sealed with an adhesive tape with the ends thereof extending beyond the dispenser. After the packaged chaff has been loaded into place, the chaff is freed within the dispenser by pulling the extended ends of the tape, thus reopening the slits.

1 Claim, 4 Drawing Figures PACKAGING FOR DISPENSING MATERIAL STATEMENT OF GOVERNMENT INTEREST The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government of the United States of America for governmental purposes without the payment of any royalties thereon or therefor.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention This invention relates generally to packaging means and more particularly to the packaging of material such as radar chaff to be distributed from airborne dispensing devices.

2. Description of the Prior Art Various devices are employed for distributing chaff (i.e., quantities of metallic radar reflecting strips) from an aircraft in order to produce false or spurious radar signal which interfere with radar target detection apparatus and confuse radar directed anti-aircraft guns or missiles. One such chaff dispensing device is described in applicants copending application Ser. No. 554,903 now U.S. Pat. No. 3527431 wherein a tray containing bundles of chaff is supported above the arresting hook SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention involves an improved packaging for chaff or similar material within a chaff dispensing pod. It includes a sheet enveloping the chaff bundle to hold it together in compact form until securely positioned within a chaff dispensing tray. The sheet is provided with a slit or slits extending lengthwise and these are then temporarily sealed with an adhesive coated tape. To unseal the slits and free the chaff after the dispenser is fully mounted upon the aircraft, the ends of the plastic tape, which protrude outside of the closed dispenser, are pulled like a lanyard to reopen the slits.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. I is a fragmentary perspective view of the undersurface of an aircraft equipped with a chaff dispenser adapted to employ the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view showing the details of a chaff dispenser mounted on the shank of a lowered aircraft arresting hook.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged side elevational view showing the chaff dispenser of FIG. I mounted on the raised arresting hook of a carrier based aircraft and with the normally open top of the tray closed by the bottom surface of the fuselage.

FIG. 4 is a transverse sectional view of a loaded chaff dispenser packaged in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to the drawings in detail there is shown in FIG. 1, the under portion of a carrier based airplane 10 with the conventional arresting hook 12 located under the tail portion of the aircraft. This arresting hook is normally kept in raised position where it lies along the undersurface but is lowered to catch a flight deck located arresting cable and stop the forward movement of the plane after landing on the deck of a carrier. This arresting hook may be lowered by the pilot at any desired time during flight. Accordingly its shank 14 provides a suitable means for mounting a chaff dispenser tray 16 as contemplated by this invention, since in the raised position the dispenser tray 16 mounted as shown has its open top portion 20 flush against the fuselage 18 effectively sealing off the top of the tray and preventing any loss of chaff 22 therefrom. However upon lowering the arresting hook 12, the aircraft slipstream deploys the packaged chaff in a desirable manner. While the present device is particularly adaptable to carrier aircraft, it will be understood that other types of aircraft and different structural members thereof may be employed for mounting the dispenser if so desired.

The packaging arrangement of the present invention includes a sheet or chaff enveloping wrapper 24 which may be of plastic or other suitable flexible material of sufficient strength. The bundled chaff 22, compactly assembled but arranged for ready dispersal when released, is enveloped within this sheet 24 and enclosed thereby on all sides. The package so formed is proportioned to the dimensions of the tray 16 or to one-half such dimensions or any other fractional modular subdivision of the tray 16 and, if desired, may be factory assembled, shipped and stored in this packaged form.

As shown in FIG. 4 the packages may be adapted to the tray contour. This view shows an elongate package with an arresting hook tunnel accommodating recess located along its length.

After the chaff has been fully enveloped, the sheet 24 is carefully slit in the manner shown so as to provide an elongate opening or openings 26 (FIG. 2) through which the contents may escape when so desired. The openings 26 preferably comprise two spaced parallel slits extending substantially the full length of the sheet 24 and then transversely at opposed ends of said sheet to form transverse openings 34. Immediately after such slitting operation the adjacent edges of the slit are rejoined by an adhesive backed tape 28 so as to reseal the enclosure and prevent premature escape of the package contents. In this FIG. a medial portion of one of the tapes has been lifted away to show the slit edges below.

The tapes 28 used to reseal the slits or openings 26 are preferably sufficiently long so that their free ends 30 and 32 extend outside of the container when the packages of chaff 22 are located therein. To provide a non-adhesive lanyard the free ends may be formed of tape doubled back upon itself so as to contact their adhesively coated sides to each other.

The tape ends 30 and 32 may be attached to a suitable static line for removal of tapes 28 during flight or at the time of chaff deployment if so desired. Such an arrangement may be desirable if liquid or caustic materials are substituted for the chaff 22 described herein.

Once the aircraft is over a target area, the arresting hook 12 is cycled down into the lowered position and the slipstream forces the chaff 22 out of the dispenser tray 16. If the dispenser is expendable and if not secured on shank 14, it also is disposed of along with the packaged chaff.

It will be recognized that propaganda leaflets, antipersonnel darts or other material to be deployed may similarly be packaged within the dispenser if desired.

dispensing tray;

a bundle enveloping cover in the form of a sheet of flexible material, said cover entirely surrounding said bundle and serving to keep it in assembled arrangement;

a plurality of cover-penetrating slits defining a central panel in that portion of the cover lying adjacent the surface of the vehicle;

said slits being interconnected to permit free removal of the panel portion after mounting of the tray upon the surface of the vehicle;

sealing means for said slits, said sealing means being in the form of elongate strips of adhesive-backed tape extending along and overlying the abuting edges of each of said slits;

the ends of said tape normally extending outside 0 the marginal periphery of said tray when it is assembled against the surface of said vehicle;

whereby application of tension to said extending ends strips the adhesive-backed tape from the bundle to leave a wide central opening defined by said panel portion for relatively free egress of chaff when the tray is separated from the vehicle side. 

1. A packaging arrangement for chaff to be dispensed from a chaff dispensing tray which utilizes the surface of an airborne vehicle as a closure for one side of said tray comprising: an elongate compact bundle of assembled chaff material, said bundle being substantially dimensioned to the shape of the interior of said dispensing tray; a bundle enveloping cover in the form of a sheet of flexible material, said cover entirely surrounding said bundle and serving to keep it in assembled arrangement; a plurality of cover-penetrating slits defining a central panel in that portion of the cover lying adjacent the surface of the vehicle; said slits being interconnected to permit free removal of the panel portion after mounting of the tray upon the surface of the vehicle; sealing means for said slits, said sealing means being in the form of elongate strips of adhesive-backed tape extending along and overlying the abuting edges of each of said slits; the ends of said tape normally extending outside of the marginal periphery of said tray when it is assembled against the surface of said vehicle; whereby application of tension to said extending ends strips the adhesive-backed tape from the bundle to leave a wide central opening defined by said panel portion for relatively free egress of chaff when the tray is separated from the vehicle side. 